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hi 8 way (2016 Setouchi Triennale)

“hi 8 way” was a nice, albeit disappointing, artwork by John Kormeling. His works tend to be either, very complex and interesting, or overly simplistic. I found “hi 8 way” to be too simple for what it could have been as well as being structurally weak. There are a lot of things that could have made this artwork spectacular and none of them were used.

hi 8 way

“hi 8 way” is a very simple double helix staircase that goes only half a turn. It is made of what I believe is aluminum and it can be very dangerous at times. When I saw the artwork, there were many signs warning visitors to not approach the staircase as it was essentially a lightning rod. During storms, I would assume the staircase would be hit by lightning from time to time based on the warning signs.

hi 8 way

hi 8 way

The main reason I was disappointed with this artwork is the fact that it wasn’t anchored into the ground and it wasn’t built sturdy enough to climb it. It was located in a small field across from the main viewing area on Yashima and it was so delicate that the volunteer was able to shake the staircase easily; he was not young and took him very little effort to shake the staircase. If I was able to climb on top and enjoy the view from Yashima from the top, I think I would have loved this artwork.

hi 8 way

“hi 8 way” has a lot of potential if it was designed right. The look was nice enough but it felt rushed or cheaply made. This may or may not have been John Kormeling’s intent as I have no knowledge of how this artwork was approved or designed. It would have been perfect if they allowed more interaction with it but in the end I doubt it will be back on Yashima.

My feeling exactly.
It was a huge disappointment, I imagined a big set of stairs that would give us an even better view of the landscape, and it felt like a model of what it should be, not the real thing.

It was even more frustrating, because his other work, Watch Tower is pretty awesome, and is indeed a real sturdy long term structure, as this one should have been.